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Medicaid funding for Guam extended
Continuing resolution signed into law; Medicaid funds available through Nov. 21
HAGÅTÑA, Guam—Millions of dollars in Medicaid funding to Guam has been extended through Nov. 21, 2019, with the passage of a continuing resolution.
President Donald Trump signed into law H.R. 4378, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Health Extenders Act of 2019, which includes a provision that extends the current 100 percent Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage for the U.S. territories through Nov. 21, 2019. Without this provision, Guam would have been required to put up a 45% match to be able to draw down on available Affordable Care Act funds.
“This is a small victory for our island,” said Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero. “The bigger fight is for a lasting solution—one that treats Guam and the territories equal to the states when it comes to Medicaid funding. Our administration has persistently urged Congress to pass legislation to permanently increase our FMAP and lift the Medicaid cap imposed on the territories.”
In addition to testimony and numerous letters Leon Guerrero provided to Congress on the Medicaid “cliff,” she also joined the chief executives of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa, signing off on a joint letter to urge for Medicaid parity with the states.
“From the start of our administration, we have meaningfully advanced Guam’s call for fairer treatment under the Medicaid statute. With every step forward, we come closer and closer to sustainable coverage for those who need it at a savings to our taxpayers. We still have so much work to do, but our progress is real and Medicaid patients still have coverage because of it,” said Leon Guerrero. (PR)
